Bhubaneswar: In order to prioritise quality across various sectors in the state, the Odisha government on Monday launched Odisha Gunvatta Sankalp (Odisha Quality Mission).
The Mission, a joint endeavour of the state government and the Quality Council of India (QCI), was launched in collaboration with industry associations – ASSOCHAM, FICCI, EEPC, OASME, PHDCCI, CIPET, FHRAI – in Bhubaneswar.
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena inaugurated the Mission in presence of Development Commissioner Anu Garg, policymakers, industry leaders, practitioners and members of academia. They also discussed promotion and prioritisation of quality across various sectors in Odisha to pave an ecosystem of quality that underlines the idea of a progressive and “Sashakta Odisha”.
Addressing the participants, Governor Ganeshi Lal stressed quality practices across domains and for creating an ecosystem for quality in Odisha thereby enabling the achievement of the vision of a new and empowered Odisha. “We are the siblings of the Adi Shakti, we bow our heads to the smallest particle of earth. QCI means Quotient of Collectivism and Individualism. As far as quality is concerned, we will be a global product but more than quality of India, it has to be the purity of India,” he said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a recorded message, emphasised the role of quality as a key aspect in every sphere of human activity. “Odisha’s dynamic 5T initiative has made significant inroads in bringing about quality across domains such as public service delivery, heritage tourism, healthcare, education and skilling, drinking water and so on. We must be able to leverage the role played by quality as a metric that can be measured, tracked and scaled, and work together to create a new and empowered Odisha,” he said.
Chairperson of QCI Jaxay Shah said with its abundant natural resources, talented and hardworking workforce and an enabling administration, Odisha is poised to be one of the states leading the mantle in India’s growth story. “It is making great strides in the sports sector. Today, we are here to create a connection with the grassroots and permeate the idea of Quality in the DNA of each and every citizen in every part of India,” he added.
Chief secretary Jena said quality is a continuous process and not an end. “Within just 98 days, the Kalinga stadium was renovated for hosting the Athletic Championship. We built the largest hockey stadium in Rourkela in 15 months for two consecutive Hockey World Cups. This was a quality project executed within a short span of time, with quality being engineered into the project from the beginning. In Odisha, we spend highest percentage of our budget on infrastructure. Therefore, we have the resources and the willingness to ensure that quality forms a core component and becomes part of the value system of Odisha,” he said.
Reiterating the pace of change in Odisha, Garg said the government is taking up 40-50 irrigation projects instead of 5-10 as it did earlier. “While there are 3 international flights from Bhubaneswar, there are also flights under the Mukhyamantri Vayu Swasthya Seva air health services wherein special doctors reach remote regions of Odisha. When public feedback was sought under Mo Sarkar across departments, we have found a positive response. We already conduct monthly programs for quality assurance and discuss common topics related to quality. However, there is much to do and QCI can assist us in finding gaps and going the extra mile that Odisha requires to achieve transformational change and ensure quality of life for its people,” she said.
“The Odisha government has been extremely supportive of the Gunvatta Sankalp initiative. Our discussions with secretaries across MSME, Electronics and IT, and skilling have yielded focused interventions in the domains of ZED, LEAN and ONDC. The QCI will be working closely with the government to make sure that these interventions get materialised at the earliest,” said Ravi P Singh, secretary general. QCI.
Established in 1997, the Quality Council of India is the apex organisation responsible for establishing and operating the third-party national accreditation system, improving quality across sectors and advising the government and other stakeholders on all matters concerning quality.
